madremissy wrote:With the clicker, I am going to have to make a trip to Alabama and see Sarah.
I am just not getting the timing right on that.
I have tried but my reflexes are not quick enough or I am doing something wrong.
Practice the clicker without the dogs...the clicker, just like all of dog training is about timing. Some people have better timing than others naturally, some people have to practice.
You're not the first person to tell me this...trust me!
The nice thing about the clicker is that it's forgiving...unlike a badly timed punishment/aversive...you can't do a lot of damage with a mis-timed click.
First thing...don't stress about it!
I heard Kathy Sdao speak a few weeks ago, and she's been working with a Guide Dog school, teaching them to clicker train the Guide Dogs. She told us about a client working with her Guide Dog, clicker training it on her own...she wanted to find a trash can on her way to work. The client stopped every morning for a coffee, and drank it as she walked. She wanted to find a trash can, so she didn't have to bring her empty cup into work with her. So she clicker trained the dog to stop at a trash can. Kathy watched her work...the dog would stop her, she'd lean forward, feel for the object, figure out that it was the trash can, then she'd click and treat. That's a really mis-timed click/treat...but it worked...the dog and client had muddled through.
So if this blind woman can mis-time her click/treat and get things accomplished...you can too!
But getting back to it...practice without the dogs around. Watch TV at night, and decide to click for something you see in the show. It might be an actor saying a certain word (something that comes up during the show...like "court" if you're watching Law and Order), or a reality show contestant sitting down on a log (like on Survivor), click everytime a word gets bleeped on "Bridezillas", etc. If it doesn't happen enough...pick something else to click for...you can change your criteria while you're watching. Every time you click, reward yourself with a snack. Have a piece of popcorn when you click correctly. Kinda like a drinking game...but with a clicker. (hell, have a shot every time you click!)
That'll help your timing, while keeping it fun!
"I don't have any idea if my dogs respect me or not, but they're greedy and I have their stuff." -- Patty Ruzzo
"Dogs don't want to control people. They want to control their own lives." --John Bradshaw